By: Jack Miller
Quaker Valley offers a plethora of extracurricular activities and chances to get involved with the community. One of the many ways to connect to the school is Cultural Alliance. “Cultural Alliance strives to create a welcoming and culturally accepting environment,” expressed club-runner and QV Senior Ilijana Hasak. “This club works to educate other students and staff on a variety of topics ranging from different cultures to identities.” She continues by explaining a core factor of the club: making sure everyone feels comfortable and accepted within and outside of Cultural Alliance.
Cultural Alliance has been able to plan many different school activities in the past. Lunch discussions, a cultural day, and guest speakers are just some of the examples of the many events they have put on. Hasak says, “We have the opportunity to work alongside our administration towards creating systemic change in our community.”
When asked about why Hasak first joined Cultural Alliance, she responded, “I first joined after attending different lunch discussions with some of my friends each week throughout my freshman and sophomore year. I learned so much about different cultures and backgrounds from fellow students and guest speakers. I wanted to work alongside other students to give many more this same experience I had.”
And she has done just that. She is now one of the leaders of the club, and she helps organize meetings, plan activities, and runs discussions. When asked why she decided to take over the leadership position of the club, she said, “I decided to continue running this club after the original founders graduated. This was not a club that I wanted to see disappear from our school district. I think that it’s purpose is so important and should continue on for years to come.”
With her new position at the head of the ship, she was inquired about issues and difficulties that come with running an extracurricular club especially in the aftermath of a pandemic. She explained how difficult it was to get any sort of participation through different outlets (for example, zoom, email, etc.), compared to working in person. “Many students, along with myself, have trouble committing to an activity or club when it is solely online and does not seem like as much of a commitment.” This struggle to commit is something that many of us realized as we came back to our old environments. It was much harder to stay motivated or devote time when we had become so accustomed to spending hours doing nothing. However, Hasak did show some excitement at the prospect of a new year completely in person. “This is why I am excited to bring back Cultural Alliance this year.”
Finally, Hasak was asked what she would say to someone who was interested in joining, but still a bit weary about the prospect. “I would tell them that this is a more than welcoming environment for all,” Hasak said. “There is so much room for new ideas and discussion, so feel free to join us during any meeting and you will have a place to speak. We love getting new members of our club, and can’t wait to see how much we accomplish throughout the year!” Cultural Alliance is a safe place to share your thoughts, let your ideas be heard, or even just to understand a different perspective.
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